Livin' On A Prayer
by Taisho Samara
Summary: When Sakura is captured, Neji goes to save her. Although Tsunade orders him not to, he does anyway, willing to die for the one he loves Though he doesn't die.... My fourth OneShot SongFic. NOT THE SEQUEL TO ANYTHING! NejiSakura


A/N: Hiya! Zutara Lover here again! Coming to you readers with another Neji/Sakura OneShot! WOO HOO! NO! This is NOT the sequel to "I'm With You"! Sasuke's with Orochimaru in this story, which is a perfect excuse to-... Wait, that would give it away... NEVERMIND!!!

Yeah, I heard this song, and again, I was like, OMG! THIS WOULD MAKE A GREAT ONESHOT! So, yeah. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Therefor I own something... Which is not Naruto... Or "Livin' On A Prayer" by Bon Jovi.

Enjoy!

**Livin' On A Prayer**

_Once upon a time_

_Not so long ago_

Hyuga Neji, head ANBU captain at age eighteen, hadn't had a mission for over a week, which was really unusual for ANBU. The village had been very quiet recently.

To the captain, it meant nothing. Only that something big was coming their way.

This did not deter him, however. It meant that he could spend more time keeping an eye on Haruno Sakura, the head nurse at the hospital, and also ANBU captain, of a different squad. With constant training to better herself at her abilities, she kept herself busy all day, and sometimes even through the night at the hospital. Did I mention that she was only seventeen?

They had been going out for about seven months, which was much longer than any other girl had lasted with the stoic ninja. He still felt that same spark that was there at the start of their relationship, and that told him that she may last for awhile to come.

_Tommy used to work on the docks_

_Union's been on strike_

_He's down on his luck...it's tough, so tough_

_Gina works the diner all day_

_Working for her man, she brings home her pay_

_For love-for love_

As he was about to lay back in his desk chair after filling out multiple report statements, his mind drifted off to Sakura. It brought a small smile to his face, but it was soon replace with a frown when Shizune, Tsunade's assistant, appeared in front of him in a cloud of smoke, worried and trembling, and almost in tears.

"Hyuga-san! Sakura-chan's been kidnaped! You must report to Hokage-sama's office right away!" she cried out in rushed breaths.

Upon hearing the news, Neji's eyes widened to about twice their normal size, as he took off to Tsunade's office as fast as he could, appearing as a blur to all those who passed him.

Tsunade herself was already a tired mess by the time Neji arrived. Her pupil, who was like a daughter to her, had been kidnaped, and by the looks of the note, they didn't plan to return her.

"Damn you, Orochimaru. Damn you Uchiha!" she screamed though her tears, which slowly rolled down her face as she trembled in her distress.

The door bursted open. "Hokage-sama!" shouted Neji, running up to her desk.

"Hyuga! They took her away!" she cried, being completely out of her character. The intensity of losing her "daughter" must have weighed down on her shoulders. First her brother, then her lover, and now Sakura. It was too much for any woman to go through, no matter how strong they were.

"Who, Tsunade-sama?! Who took her!?" shouted Neji, trying to make his voice reach her ears over her sobs.

Putting her hand to her head, she choked out, "Read the note, Hyuga.", holding out said note to him with her other hand.

Through shocked eyes, and a crackling voice, he read aloud what the note said, anger and fury eminent in his voice.

_Tsunade,_

_It's my _greatest_ regret to inform you that we have taken your prized student. My own pupil was in need of an heir, and I was in need of information. It is in your best interest that she be returned, yes? Well, she will be, if she survives my tests._

_Your Old _Friend

_Orochimaru_

Wiping away her tears, Tsunade glared at Neji as he finished reading the note. "I have already read it once, Hyuga. I did not need it to be recited to me." she spat. Returning to her business-like tone, she folded her hands on her desk. "Sakura is strong, but I do not doubt that she will die in the event of these _tests_. I have already thought about sending a team to save her, but by the time they reach the headquarters, it'll be too late..."

_She says we've got to hold on to what we've got_

'_Cause it doesn't make a difference_

_If we make it or not_

_We've got each other and that's a lot_

_For love- We'll give it a shot_

Neji's eyes were beginning to tear, but he blinked the moisture away. In a quiet voice, he asked, "Then why bother to inform me? If I cannot go to rescue her, what is the point?"

Tsunade sighed. "I knew that you two were close... I thought that you should know. Trust me, if there were anyway to save her, I would have gone myself, but, I almost lost to Orochimaru before. There's no doubt that he's gotten stronger since I last saw him five years ago, and Uchiha... Well, somehow he was able to avoid the body transfer to strengthen his abilities..." She massaged her temples as more tears threatened to spill out.

Neji looked to the side in his rage. "When was she taken?" he asked, trying to find some hope in the situation.

"Early last night. By now, they're probably halfway to the Rice Country..."

"I see." he replied, acting like all hope was lost. Instead, the gears in his mind that made him ANBU captain were turning, already formulating plans to get his Sakura back. He bowed to the Hokage, before making his exit, and sprinting out of the building, only making a quick stop at his home to gather some supplies.

Within minutes, he was running out through the gates of Konoha, his destination; the Rice Country, home to the hideout of Orochimaru and the Uchiha.

'Damn them all...' he thought to himself, not paying any attention to the trees rushing past him in a green blur...

ZLZLZLZ

A young man around the age of seventeen was prowling through the dungeons, wearing a malicious smirk on his face. It had only taken him a matter of twenty hours to reach the headquarters after he had taken the Haruno, and left the note for the Hokage. Currently, he was on his way to check on the prisoner.

She was lying on the floor, and her chakra had been reduced to dangerously low levels, making it so that she was unable to use any jutsu. Fortunately for her, she was still conscious. When Sasuke stopped in front of her cell, she glared up at him, all love that might have been in her gaze was gone.

"Hello, Sakura." he said huskily, looking down at her form with his Sharingan.

"Sa-Sasuke..." she weakly growled. Her eyes were losing their spark. She was quickly dying on the inside, because there was no possible way for her to escape.

"Now, now, koibito. Don't talk like that." he hushed, squatting down to stare into her eyes, and hypnotizing her into a deep sleep.

Before she was fully unconscious, however, she was able to mutter out, "Someone... Someone will come for me." Although, she new how unlikely it was. By the time anyone realized she was gone, it would be too late for her.

Sasuke smirked again as he stood up. "Face it, Sakura, you're alone, and no one will come to save you."

ZLZLZLZ

Neji hadn't stopped for hours. He had been madly going through the forest until he reached the border of the Rice Country, and still, he refused to stop. Sakura was too important to him for him to lose.

_Whooah, we're half way there_

_Whooahoh, livin' on a prayer_

_Take my hand and we'll make it- I swear_

_Wooah, livin' on a prayer_

It was probably stupid for him to not arrange a squad, but he was in a hurry, and if he would've taken the time, Sakura could be dead before he even arrived. He wasn't willing to take the chance. And if they didn't make it... Well, at least they'd die together.

He passed a small town, and didn't even bother to stop anywhere. He just ran straight through. His adrenaline had kicked in, so he wasn't tired in the least. How could he be tired, when all he thought about was Sakura's safety?

"I swear to Kami! I swill strike the Uchiha down dead when I see him! Don't you worry, Sakura. I'm coming!" he shouted to no one in particular. As fast as he was going, no one even noticed him, much less believed the one to shout was traveling so fast that he was a blur.

–Slight Time Skip–

A few hours later, and still going, Neji had discovered the headquarters, making sure that no one was in the vicinity with his Byakugan. The area was clear. Apparently, no one expected there to be someone already there. With great stealth, he made his way down the stairway and into the building.

ZLZLZLZ

Now awake again, Sakura cried out in pain as she made contact with a hard wall. She was no longer in her cell, but rather inside an interrogation room, being questioned by the man she hated most.

After not getting any answers from the pink-haired kunoichi, Sasuke had resorted to force. Orochimaru had entrusted the job of gathering information from the medic to his trusted pupil, telling him to punish her if she refused to respond. And oh, how he had punished her...

Her face was beginning to bruise from where he had backhanded her. Her neck had droplets of blood creating a small path down to her collarbone from where he had cut her with a kunai. Her arm was broken, and her side was bruised from being thrown against the wall, and yet, she didn't cry. She refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry, even though she was now a crumpled heap on the floor.

Sasuke picked her up by the neck of her shirt, and her feet were hovering above the ground. "Sakura," he stated, anger laced in his voice. She was proving to be very irritating. "Look at me." he ordered. When she didn't, he growled, and used his free hand to make her look him in the eye.

_Tommy's got his six string in hock_

_Now he's holding in what he used_

_To make it talk- so tough, it's tough_

_Gina dreams of running away_

_When she cries in the night_

_Tommy whispers baby it's okay, someday_

Sakura was so disgusted with him touching her face, that she spat in his eyes, only succeeding in making him angrier. His earned her another backhand, right where the first one had been. She landed against the wall yet again.

"I have been very lenient with you, Sakura, but my patience has reached its end. Tell me what Tsunade's true physical weakness is, or else." he threatened, starting to let his curse mark take over his body.

"N-Never!" she stuttered out, still able to show resistance. She would never betray Tsunade like that, not after how much she had given to her. Her surrogate mother did not deserve to go down in such a way.

"So be it." muttered Sasuke, letting the curse mark take full control. "You have sealed your fate." Just as he was about to strike again, the door to the room burst open.

"If there's anything that I have learned," he stated. "It's that fate cannot be controlled." Neji lunged at Sasuke, attempting to start his Hakke Rokujuyon Sho, but because of his Sharingan, Sasuke was able to dodge every blow, laughing as he did so.

"You think you can defeat me, Hyuga?" he scoffed. "Not even Naruto was able to bring me back. On a whim, I spared his life." The Sharingan gleamed in the small light in the room, creating an effect on those inside.

"Well," stated the Hyuga, smirking. "I'm not Naruto, am I?"

"N-Neji-kun..." Sakura's voice came out in barely a whisper.

For the first time since he entered the room, Neji was finally able to get a good look at the kunoichi; he was able to see how badly beaten she was, and how she was now close to the brink of unconsciousness because of her low chakra. The Byakugan revealed how much remained in her system.

Sasuke stared at Sakura. "So, you and Hyuga are pretty close now, aren't you?" he spat. "I guess we'll have to fix that." Grabbing his wrist and forcing chakra from his other hand to flow into his, he formed his Chidori, and took aim at Neji.

Before he could start the technique, Neji took his Hakke Sanbyaku Rokujuichi Shiki stance, now that the Uchiha had only one direction to travel in. With unmatched speed, even faster than Lee, Neji began to strike down Sasuke's chakra points, starting with his wrists to render Chidori useless.

_We've got to hold on to what we've got_

'_Cause it doesn't make a difference _

_If we make it or not_

_We've got each other and that's a lot_

_For love- We'll give it a shot_

"What!?" exclaimed Sasuke disbelievingly. No one had ever gained enough speed to match his Chidori, much less cause it to dissipate in so much as a jab to the wrist. "This... Can't be!" By this time, Neji had struck three-hundred-sixty-one times, causing the Uchiha to wind up as a heap on the floor, similar to Sakura.

"Sakura!" shouted Neji, looking towards the spot where she had been just a few moments ago, but she was gone. He looked back to Sasuke, to find her with her leftover chakra morphed into a kind of scalpel.

Slowly, saving her energy, she cut through his windpipe, killing the young man almost instantly. Unfortunately, with her chakra already low, she collapsed to the ground beside the deceased Sasuke, her breathing labored.

Rushing to her aide, Neji was by her side in an instant, and with a few quick jabs at her chakra points, he opened them up, allowing her chakra flow to return to normal. As he did so, she moaned in pain. He hadn't forgotten about her wounds, but he had to open up her chakra system.

"Sakura, hold on." he soothed, helping her onto his back, and running out the door.

"N-Neji-kun... You came..." she whispered, letting the darkness consume her as she slipped to sleep yet again.

"Of course." he whispered back, expertly maneuvering himself through the maze-like halls of the underground lair, avoiding every enemy that came their way. With every step that he took, he was careful to mind Sakura's wounds, but still, he couldn't avoid every bump that came their way, and therefor, it caused the pink-haired medic more pain.

He could only imagine what kind of torture they were using on her. She had inner strength, that much was true, but her body shouldn't have taken all that abuse. And even with her strong mind, he was sure that this would affect her for the rest of her life.

And surely when he returned to the village he would be punished for disobeying a direct order from the Godaime. Hopefully, all would be forgotten with the return of her student.

In the distance, he could hear the wails of rage and anger coming from the direction of the headquarters. He knew that Sasuke's body must've been discovered, and that could only mean that reinforcements were on the way.

"Damn it all." muttered Neji under his breath. He had taken that into consideration when he entered the building, but never would he have imagined that they would've found his body so soon. He would have to pick up the pace, but that was kind of hard to do with Sakura on his back. "I'm sorry, Sakura. Hold on." he whispered, activating his Byakugan to see the area behind him. So far, the coast was clear, but still, for safety reasons, he sped up, moving Sakura to the front and holding her bridal style.

–Slight Time Skip–

Only hours from Sakura's rescue, and they had already made it well into the Land of Fire. Still, they had a couple of hours until the reached the safety of Konoha. There was still no sign of the ninja that were sure to be after them, but Neji wasn't taking any chances.

After making sure that Sakura was hidden in a safe place, Neji proceeded to cover all evidence that they had been in the area, also making misleading paths into other directions. When he returned, he made a small shelter, unseeable to watchful eyes, so that if anyone passed by, they wouldn't be discovered.

Obviously, they were both exhausted. Hakke Sanbyaku Rokujuichi Shiki really used up a lot of chakra, and Sakura still wasn't fairing much better since he found her. Though her chakra points were releasing more chakra to fill up her system, she was still unconscious. In their small shelter, Neji took Sakura into his arms for warmth, and fell asleep, hoping that she would be fine when morning came.

_Wooah, we're half way there_

_Wooahoh, livin' on a prayer_

_Take my hand and we'll make it-I swear_

_Whooahoh, livin' on a prayer_

_Livin' on a prayer_

–Slight Time Skip–

When morning light reached his eyes, Neji woke up to feel a slight rustling in his arms. When he opened his eyes, he saw a certain pink-haired ninja stirring.

She groaned, whether from waking up or the pain of her wounds, he didn't know. She used what had gathered of her strength to sit up, flinching when she aggravated her wounds. When she finally gathered her surroundings, she jumped, having no idea where she was. She looked behind her to see Neji staring at her with his pearly white eyes, and she started to cry.

"N-Neji-kun... W-What happened?" she sobbed, careful not to move her broken arm. When her memories came back to her, she refused to move it, for fear of disrupting the bone. All of it seemed like a terrible nightmare, but her injuries were proof enough that it was real.

"Sakura... When I heard that you had been taken... I came after you... I couldn't let you suffer..." he whispered, starting to get teary eyed himself.

"How very touching..." hissed a voice in the background. (A/N: HoHo! Thought they were in the clear, huh? Well, I couldn't just let it end with a bunch of sap like in my other stories, so...)

Sakura's eyes widened in fear. "K-Kabuto!" she stuttered, eying the traitorous medic with wary eyes.

"So, you thought you could get away with leaving Sasuke-sama's dead body in the interrogation room without receiving just punishment, huh?" he questioned, his glasses gleaming in the morning light. "Though, I have to say that I think he went a little too far in beating the girl. Any more and she would've been dead and useless to us. We couldn't have that."

Slowly, Neji rose to his feet, standing protectively in front of Sakura.

"Tsk, tsk. That won't work, Hyuga. My cells can regenerate to form new structures in my body. It wouldn't be too difficult to refocus that ability to regenerate my chakra flow, and set it back on course." warned the Sound apprentice. "You can't win, and it looks like that girl is about ready to collapse on the spot."

Sakura growled in irritation, paying no attention to the cuts on her throat. She focused her chakra into her unbroken arm, enabling her Shosen Jutsu to commence. She placed the healing chakra on her broken arm, wincing slightly as it merged the bone back together, and healed the bruises on her side. "I wouldn't worry about me if I were you." she replied, stretching her arm so that it could get used to movement again.

Neji cast a worried glance in Sakura's direction. "Are you sure you'll be alright?"

Sakura only nodded firmly, not leaving any room for argument. "I promised everyone years ago that I would never be a burden again. I plan to keep that promise."

_We've got to hold on ready or not_

_You live for the fight when it's all that you've got_

Kabuto only smirked, mumbling something about the fight being more interesting, before he charged at full speed, his chakra morphed in order to cut through the limbs.

Even though her arm was still sore, she forced her hands and fingers gather every ounce of chakra that she had left in her. "You're dead, Kabuto!" she roared as a veil of pink tinted chakra surrounded her body. This power was lent to her by Inner Sakura, who now controlled her voice.

Neji, sensing that Sakura was about to execute her earth shattering attack, quite literally, jumped into the air to avoid the blow, making sure to get as much distance between himself and the ground as possible. He knew that with her perfect chakra control, she would be fine when she released the attack.

When Neji was safely out of reach, Sakura slammed her fists into the ground as Kabuto stood only a few feet from striking his target. Just the raw power of the chakra was able to slice into his skin, and his screams of agony did not go unheard.

"Shannaro! Die!" she screamed, slamming her eyes shut as debris went flying through the air. It didn't matter if he could regenerate or not. No one would be able to survive if they were buried under extremely heavy boulders, and bleeding from large gashes at the same time.

When the dust had cleared, Neji gracefully landed on his feet in front of Sakura, hearing the small "tink" of shattering glass as he touched down. He looked down, and saw the now broken glasses which had belonged to Kabuto, and smirked. It was soon wiped off his face, however, when Sakura collapsed into his arms.

She weakly smiled up at him. "Chikuso. I've become a hindrance yet again." she muttered, before once again falling asleep in his arms.

Neji gently smiled down at her. She had used all of the chakra that she had recovered in that one attack, caused the doom of a dangerous enemy, and still, all she could think about was being a problem to those around her.

_Whooah, we're half way there_

_Whooahoh, livin' on a prayer_

_Take my hand and we'll make it- I swear_

_Whooahoh, livin' on a prayer_

–Slight Time Skip–

Just hours later they passed back through the Konoha gates. The two men normally in the guard booth looked on in shock, and were utterly speechless when they saw Neji returning into the village with the kidnaped Sakura in his arms. Hell, they didn't even know that he had left!

Within minutes, he was standing before the Hokage tower, walking through the entryway. Shizune, who sat at the front desk, could only stutter dumbly as she saw Neji, with a few cuts and bruises himself, holding Sakura in his arms. When she finally connected it, she chased after them, after seeing them make their way up the stairs that led to Tsunade's office.

When they burst through the doors, they were met with a sleeping Tsunade at her desk, surrounded by dozens of sake bottles.

When Shizune entered the office, she was screaming at the top of her lungs, "Tsunade-sama! Tsunade-sama!"

Tsunade stirred, and, half-awake, looked up at her subordinate. "What is it, Shizune?" she asked sadly, finding no reason that she would be that happy.

"Tsunade-sama! Sakura's back!" she chirped, moving out of the way to reveal a beat up Neji and Sakura.

"Yes, yes... That's very nice, Shizune... Sakura's back..." She let it sink in. When she finally connected the words, she was fully awake, and abruptly stood up at her desk. "WHAT!? Sakura- Sakura's back?" she shouted disbelievingly, looking at Neji and Sakura with teary eyes.

Neji relinquished his hold on the girl to Tsunade, and bowed before her. "I retrieved her... Against your wishes, I'm afraid. But she's back... and alive..." he whispered, letting Tsunade wallow in the moment.

"Oh, Kami! Oh, Kami! Oh, Kami!" she repeated over and over again like a mantra. "I never thought she'd return to us."

"I also must report," interrupted the Hyuga. "That Uchiha, and Kabuto, are dead. Sakura killed both of them upon regaining her lost chakra. She fainted afterwards." He looked upon the medic with tired, yet joyful eyes.

Tsunade finally was able to regain herself, and turned to Neji. "Hyuga, you disobeyed my orders, but," she sighed, looking down at her surrogate daughter. "We'll discuss it at another time. Right now, we have someone to attend to."

_Whooah, we're half way there_

_Whooahoh, livin' on a prayer_

_Take my hand and we'll make it-I swear_

_Whooahoh, livin' on a prayer_

The Hyuga bowed once again, entrusting Sakura into the Hokage's care. All that mattered to him, was that she was back, safe and sound.

**End**

A/N: How was it? Yeah, it was completely random, but I really loved it. Well, I pretty much love any story where Sasuke is killed by the main character of the story! ;) Well, please review!

Ja ne!

Zutara Lover


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